1. Field of the Invention
The present invention(s) relates generally to fabric-type covers for articles such as furniture pieces and semi-flexible panels such as may be used as room dividers or partitions; and more particularly, to accessories therefore. Specifically, the present invention(s) is directed toward anchors or stays for such article covers or panels.
2. Background of the Invention
Nondescript tables intended to be covered before use are well known in the entertainment, convention, and party industries. Typically, the underlying table is of a conventional design and without decorative features. The top of the table may be of any shape, but is typically either square, rectangular, round, or oval-shaped. A set of legs is attached to the underside of the table top. These legs are typically foldable into and out of a use configuration. The tables themselves are relatively unattractive and are almost always covered for use. In this manner, the cover may be selected such that the tables serve as a complement to the theme of an event.
Typically, conventional table covers have been simple drapes that are positioned over the table for uniform appearance. One problem with such designs is that no reference is provided to indicate when the draped table cover has been properly positioned. Therefore, the set up of such tables, especially when there is a large number, may be time-consuming. Each table must be visually inspected, typically from several different vantage points, to assure that each table looks right from all sides. Commonly, a conventional cloth table cover of inappropriate size will result in uneven overhangs. Further, such draped designs have long been in use and the entertainment, convention, and party industries desire new and novel appearances, as well as efficient designs for event accessories.
In home settings, the owner of furniture often times desires to change the appearance of the furniture simply and inexpensively. Examples include dining tables, coffee tables, end tables, and bedside tables. Tables of this nature may also be used in commercial settings, such as hotels, restaurants, and offices. Typically, the appearance of such furniture used in commercial settings is desired to be changed temporarily or permanently. As with private owners, commercial owners of furniture desire to make appearance changes simply, inexpensively, and interchangeably.
Typically, furniture covers have been draped over the furniture piece and held in position by their own weight, crude fastening devices such as screw-pins and even removable elastic straps are also familiar, but not very elegant commercial products. In the case of stretch furniture covers of the nature disclosed herein, the lower peripheries of the cover have commonly been secured by being tucked under the legs of the furniture piece being covered. This presents several problems, but the most obvious is that the weight of the furniture piece, plus any weight resting thereupon, is concentrated on the fabric cover at the points under the legs often causing holes and other unsightly wear-spots that limit the useful life of the cover unnecessarily early.
In view of the deficiencies described above associated with the use of conventional designs of furniture covers, the present invention(s) have been developed to alleviate these deficiencies and to provide further benefits to a user. These benefits are described in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to alternative embodiments of the present invention.
The present invention, in the disclosed embodiments thereof, alleviates the deficiencies described above with respect to conventionally designed drape table covers and incorporates several additionally beneficial features. Among the benefits provided to a user are the simplicity and durability of the table cover of the present invention. Another benefit is the clean, sculpted appearance the table cover provides when installed upon a table. A further benefit attractive to the entertainment, convention, and party industries is the versatility and ease in appearance-adaptation of the table cover of the present invention.
Both the table cover body and the overlay table top cover of the fabric table cover assembly of the present invention are constructed to be substantially form-fitting about a conventional party table. Because the fabric from which the body and cover are constructed is typically a stretch material, the body and cover are stretched about the table and secured thereupon. The stretch nature of the fabric causes the body and cover to constrict about the table and partially conform thereto. The result is a curvaceous appearance that is unique, somewhat space-age in effect, and pleasing to the eye.
A lower periphery of the bottom of the table cover is secured at the feet of the table. Because of the elastic nature of the lower periphery of the table cover, upward-extending arches are formed between the legs of the table. This is a developed feature highly desirable to users of the table because these arched areas provide gap spaces between the table cover and the floor that accommodate the insertion of a user""s feet under the table. The lack of such access for the user""s feet in conventional table cover designs has long affected the level of comfort and usability of such conventional designs.
In a preferred embodiment, the table cover of the present invention is constructed to have a top portion and a bottom portion configured to cover the top portion and the legged portion of a table, respectively. The top portion of the table cover is preferably made of a light-colored material, but at least a portion of the top portion of the table cover contains a light-colored area. The bottom portion of the table cover may be made of any colored material. Typically, however, the bottom portion of the table cover is black because of that color""s versatility and ability to blend in many event settings.
The table cover body, described above, may be used alone. However, in another preferred embodiment, an overlay table top cover may be used that is stretched over the top portion of the table cover body. Typically, this overlay table top cover will have a predetermined pattern, such as stripes, polka-dots, or an animal print, that may be used to customize the appearance of the tables being covered and accent the event in which the tables are being used. Because the overlay table top cover is also constructed of stretch material to enable its simple installation over the top portion of the table cover body and cause conformity thereto, it is relatively simple for the color of the top portion of the table cover body to bleed through any light portions of the overlay table top cover. For this reason, the top portion of the table cover body is preferably constructed from a light-colored material, and more preferably, a white material. Through the use of such a light-colored material, bleed-through is prevented and the colors of the overlay table top cover are made more vibrant by the light-colored backdrop of the top portion of the table cover body. Further, the top portion of the table cover body of the present invention may be constructed from polyester-cotton blend materials that act as a pad under the overlay table top cover, eliminating the need for a separate pad.
The construction of the table cover body and the overlay table top cover enable quick, simple, and uniform installation of a plurality of table cover assemblies on a plurality of tables. This is important to event planners as set up time is typically at a premium. The set up time for an event is non-revenue generating and, therefore, desired to be minimized. The construction of the table cover assembly of the present invention enables a single person to install the cover quickly and accurately by himself or herself without damaging the table cover. This one-person installation is accommodated by the construction of the table cover and its method of installation and attachment upon a table. Because of the stretching nature of the table cover, the lower periphery of the bottom portion of the table cover may be hooked under the feet of the table""s legs. This may be accomplished one leg at a time as the person moves about the table. Simultaneously, the top portion of the table cover, as well as the bottom portion of the table cover, may be stretched tautly about the table top and legged portions of the table, respectively. In this manner, as the person progresses about the table, each leg may be rocked off of the floor to permit placement of a securable portion of the cover thereunder. This type of installation prevents the table top from having to engage the floor and averts potential damage to the table cover if it were pinched between the table top and the floor.
In a preferred embodiment, the bottom portion of the table cover is constructed in a tube configuration using a longitudinal seam that may be used by an installer as a reference point for proper positioning of the table cover upon the table. By aligning the seam with a leg of the table, not only is a better appearance achieved for each table, but a uniform appearance across a plurality of tables is assured as each is similarly covered.
In at least one embodiment, the present invention takes the form of a fabric table cover assembly that includes a table cover body that has a top portion configured for covering a table top and a bottom portion configured for covering at least a portion of a supporting portion of a table. The bottom portion of the table cover body has a lower periphery configured to be anchored at securable locations, one of each of the securable locations to be anchored to one of the plurality of legs of the table to be covered. The lower periphery has extension portions between adjacent securable locations that are adapted to form upwardly-extending arches between adjacent securable locations. In this manner, accommodating access areas for feet are established between adjacent legs of the covered table.
The top portion of the table cover body is light-colored so that light-colored overlay table top cover fabrics positioned upon the top portion are unaffected in appearance color-wise by the top portion of the table cover body. In a preferred embodiment, the light-colored top portion of the table cover body is white for optimized color preservation of overlay table top cover fabrics. The bottom portion of the table cover body is preferably dark-colored for forming an opaque skin about the supporting portion of the covered table.
In one embodiment, the top portion and the bottom portion of the table cover body are separate fabric pieces joined together at a seam to form the table cover body. The seam may be configured to be located immediately below the top of the covered table when installed thereupon. Additionally, the overlay table top cover is configured to cover the top portion of the table cover body for presenting a contrasting appearance to the bottom portion of the table cover body. Preferably, the overlay table top cover is adapted to stretch tautly over the top portion of the table cover body in a form-fitting manner and for establishing a substantially uniform surface-to-surface engagement between the overlay table top cover and the top portion of the table cover body. Further, the overlay table top cover has at peripheral elastic band for constriction below the top of the covered table when installed thereupon. In a preferred embodiment, the overlay table top cover is constructed from stain and wrinkle-resistant material.
In another embodiment, the securable locations take, at least in part, the form of hookable portions at the bottom portion of the table cover body and are configured for being securingly hooked under the legs of the covered table. In an alternative embodiment, each securable location includes a cupped receiver positioned at the lower periphery of the bottom portion of the table cover body and is configured to securingly receive a foot portion of a leg of the covered table. The cupped receiver is adapted to be releasably engageable upon the lower periphery of the bottom portion of the table cover body. The durable cupped receiver is configured to be installed on the furniture cover and be positioned under a foot of the furniture piece thereby avoiding undue wear and damage to the cover as opposed to if it had been tucked under the foot as described hereinabove regarding traditional securement means and methods.
In one embodiment, each cupped receiver includes a first body piece and a second body piece that are substantially conforming or form-fitting to one another. The first body piece may be snapped into the second body piece such that the lower periphery of the table cover is caught between the first body piece and the second body piece. The first body piece may have raised ridges or fins operable for securing the lower periphery of the table cover within the cupped receiver. The first body piece of the cupped receiver has an interior foot receiving area for receiving the foot of a leg of the table therein. The cupped receiver is releasably engageable and may be made of any substantially rigid, durable material, such as plastic or rubber. The cupped receiver is preferably constructed from a material of a color that complements or contrasts the table cover.
In another embodiment, each cupped receiver includes a first body piece, a second body piece, and a securing piece that are substantially conforming. The first body piece of the cupped receiver has an interior foot receiving area for receiving the foot of a leg of the table therein. The first body piece is securely disposed within the second body piece of the cupped receiver, the second body piece including a securing piece receiver. The securing piece of the cupped receiver has a table cover receiving hook for receiving the lower periphery of the table cover. The securing piece snappingly engages the securing piece receiver of the second body piece, catching the lower periphery of the table cover between the securing piece and the second body piece. The cupped receiver is releasably engageable and may be made of any substantially rigid, durable material, such as plastic or rubber.
In one aspect, the invention takes the form of a cupped arrangement for holding a fabric-type furniture cover in a use-configuration upon a furniture piece. The cupped arrangement includes an attachment portion defining a trap space. The trap space is configured to releasably engage a portion of a fabric-type furniture cover. An anchor portion is coupled to the attachment portion, the anchor portion having a cupped receiving space adapted to insertibly receive a foot portion of a leg of a furniture piece over which the fabric-type furniture cover is installable. The attachment portion and the anchor portion together establish a cupped receiver that is predominantly constructed from semi-rigid material, preferably plastic, that is form-retaining and that possesses sufficient flexure to accommodate releasable securement of the cupped receiver to a furniture cover. The cupped receiver is constructed of multiparts that, based on relative positioning one to the others, establish an open configuration in which a portion of a furniture cover is insertible into the trap space and a closed configuration in which an inserted portion of a furniture cover is retained in the trap space. In one example, at least two of the multi-parts of the cupped receiver are configured to be conformance fitting one to the other, and also being capable of being snapped together, with the trap space established there between in the closed configuration. It should be appreciated that these types of anchors or cupped receivers may also be utilized on fabric-type panels that are not necessarily employed as furniture covers, but which may take the form of sheeting such as that used to temporarily partition a room.
Preferably, the bottom portion of the table cover body is constructed from a stretch fabric and is configured to fit tautly about the supporting portion of the covered table thereby presenting a curvaceous appearance about the supporting portion when installed. Optionally, the stretch fabric from which the bottom portion of the table cover body is constructed is a spandex material. Further, the bottom portion of the table cover body includes a peripheral elastic band for constriction about the lower portion of the supporting portion of the covered table, thereby forming the upwardly-extending arches and presenting a fluted appearance at the base of the covered table.
The beneficial effects described above apply generally to all exemplary devices, mechanisms, and methods disclosed herein. Specific structures and methods through which these benefits may be delivered are described in detail hereinbelow.